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OGE Informatics study materials
OGE Informatics study resources

OGE Informatics: Practical ICT Tasks: Spreadsheets, Text, Search, Databases

OGE Informatics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Practical ICT Tasks: Spreadsheets, Text, Search, Databases

Core ideas

Practical tasks test tool skills. Spreadsheets: cell references (relative A1, absolute $A$1), formulas starting with =, functions (SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, IF, COUNT), charts, and sorting/filtering. Text processing: formatting, styles, tables, find/replace. Search: query syntax with quotes for exact phrases, AND/OR/NOT, and site filters. Databases: tables, records, fields, keys, and query conditions.

Traps to watch

  • Copying a formula with relative references - they shift; absolute $ references stay fixed.
  • Forgetting that a formula must begin with =; otherwise it is text.
  • Range errors: SUM(A1:A5) includes both ends (5 cells), not 4.
  • Search operators: quoted phrase = exact; OR broadens, AND narrows.
  • Confusing a record (row) with a field (column) in a database.

Rule of thumb

When a formula is copied, adjust only the parts without $. For database queries, translate the condition into a filter row by row: field, comparison, value.

Worked example

Cell B2 contains =A2*$C$1. Copied to B3, it becomes =A3*$C$1 (row shifts for A2, but $C$1 is locked). If it were =A2*C1, copying to B3 would give =A3*C2. The $ is the whole difference - check it every time.